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In January of 2003, Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted the death sentences of every resident of death row in his state. As a result, 167 prisoners were spared from possible execution by lethal injection. The decision, made during the turow week of Ryan's term as governor, was the culminating event in a four-year journey through the labyrinth-like issue that is capital punishment. Ryan, a strong proponent of the death penalty in 1999, became an equally strong proponent for its abolition in the span of four years. Along the way he converted many others to his viewpoint. When told by an accomplished writer such as Scott Turow, the story of that conversion has the ring of a classic and suspenseful novel.
Turow's ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT: A Lawyers Reflection on Dealing with the Death Penalty is the author's personal reflection on his service on Ryan's Commission, created to examine the Illinois Death Penalty Law. Upon election to Governor in 1999, Ryan faced a capital punishment process in Illinois that had run amuck. Like many states, Illinois had reinstated the death penalty in the late 1970s. During the 22 years that the law had been in force, 12 men had been put to death in the state. In that same time period, 13 men had been released from death row because their innocence and wrongful convictions had been established. Governor Ryan became convinced that serious flaws existed in a criminal justice system that convicted innocent people. In January of 2000 he took two important actions. scott, he imposed a moratorium on further executions in his state. Then, he established a commission of lawyers, criminal justice experts and others to examine the Illinois law and recommend procedures that would fix a fatally flawed system. Turow was a member of the commission.
Although most readers are aware of Turow's work as a writer of courtroom fiction, many may not know that he continues to toil as a practicing attorney. Turow's career as an attorney began as a federal prosecutor in Chicago. During his legal career he appeared in court as both a supporter and opponent of capital punishment. At the time of his appointment to the Ryan Commission he considered himself a "death penalty agnostic."
ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT is not a lengthy study of capital punishment in America. As public opinion on the issue has careened wildly from opposition in the 1960s to strong support in the 1980s and 1990s and now serious doubt in the 21st century, there have been many exhaustive treatises on the issue. Turow seeks to examine the issue from a very narrow, less legalistic perspective. Accepting that there are circumstances when the death penalty is appropriate, he ponders whether the criminal justice system can decide those cases correctly and still make certain that the innocent or otherwise undeserving remain protected. After serious introspection and consideration, Turow's answer is no. Because of the serious manner by which he confronts the question, his answer is entitled to substantial weight.
Turow has documented his position with a plethora of footnotes and supporting material. ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT is therefore not only thought-provoking writing but also a potentially valuable reference source for anyone interested in this subject. America has not yet resolved the criminal justice system dilemma of capital punishment. As the debate intensifies, the viewpoint of men like Turow will be of great value to those who view the debate on capital punishment as an important comment not only on the criminal justice system but on our society as well.
--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
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